Report details AI-run dating app scams that charged users to chat

In short: Researchers say some dating apps used AI chat personas and paid workers to trick people into buying coins to keep conversations going.

What's going on

A report from Anthropic, the company behind the AI system Claude, describes a network of about 28 dating apps that were built to look like normal dating services. The apps promised “real connection,” but many conversations were run by AI, meaning software that can write messages that sound human.

Security researcher Matthew “Zigula” Gore-Kormanik investigated one app called Dora and got a pop-up saying he was receiving a call from “Jennifer.” He answered, but did not see a person, and later got a message praising his voice even though his microphone was not connected. Anthropic’s researcher Chris Cronbaugh said most chats did not involve a human at all.

Anthropic says it saw more than 4,700 fake AI personas talking with at least 25,000 people over two weeks, with about 2.36 million messages. The scam was not mainly about asking for emergency money. Instead, the apps sold coins or gems that users had to buy to keep chatting, like a parking meter that keeps running while you talk.

Some real gig workers were involved too. Anthropic says they were used to pass “liveness checks” (quick tests that try to confirm someone is a real person), and they often picked from prewritten replies.

What to watch

Many apps were later removed from Apple’s and Google’s app stores, but The Verge reported that at least one related app, Kira, was still available on Google Play as of September 16. Watch for whether app stores, payment companies, and AI providers coordinate faster, since Anthropic said operators can switch accounts or providers quickly.

Source: The Verge AI